Native American Communities
Small Native American communities are at much higher risk than the national average on a range of health issues: Native Americans are more likely commit suicide, to die of alcohol-related causes, and the incidence of diabetes and tuberculosis are higher than average. As a group, they also have the highest rate of intimate partner violence in the U.S., while AIAN children are at double the risk for abuse and neglect. All these factors, including high rates of poverty and unemployment, help foment a sense of loss and despair among Native youth. Nationally, suicide tends to skew middle-aged (and white); but among Native Americans, 40 percent of those who die by suicide are between the ages of 15 and 24. And among young adults ages 18 to 24, Native American have higher rates of suicide than any other ethnicity, and higher than the general population.